With much of today's popular indie pop either buried in fuzz or obscured with reverb, the unfettered craftsmanship of Chapel Hill's Kingsbury Manx feels more refreshing than ever. Tight collections of keys, guitars and shuffling rhythms meet warmly, allowing easygoing melodies to bubble through effortlessly. The words hit harder for the pristine production, allowing the band's team of writers to tackle quarter-life crises with deft strokes. Their songs are clean because they have nothing to hide. Lilac Shadows open, and their booming psychedelics build '60s pop melodies into grandiose salvos that enhance, not obscure, the band's tunefulness. —Jordan Lawrence